AKR1B1 and neoplasm: These cells were defined as mixed-lineage tumor cells, and genes specific to mixed-lineage tumor cells were identified, including AKR1B1. Further experiments showed that gene knockdown and small molecule inhibition of AKR1B1 significantly decreased cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis, suggesting that AKR1B1 plays an important role in tumorigenesis and could be a target for tumor therapy in NSCLC patients with mixed-lineage tumor features.